The Lakers signed Howard as a replacement for DeMarcus Cousins, who tore his ACL during a workout this offseason. Now, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, Davis “had a big say” on the team’s decision to go with Howard instead of their other options — which include Joakim Noah, Marcin Gortat and Marreese Speights.

“The reason that Dwight is a Laker is because Anthony Davis doesn’t want to play the five. He doesn’t want to play against the big centers in the Western Conference,” Ramona Shelburne said during an appearance on the Stephen A. Show, per Harrison Feigen of Silver Screen & Roll.

“He needs a big dude next to him that can eat up some of those minutes and take some of that physical pounding from Nikola Jokic or (Jusuf) Nurkic or any of the centers you want to name out West … Anthony Davis doesn’t want to be that guy, and so he had a big say in whether or not Dwight was going to be cast in this role for them.”

To recall, Davis, JaVale McGee and Rajon Rondo met with Howard before he was signed by the Lakers to ensure that they could trust him. According to reports, they even asked the three-time Defensive Player of the Year if he can be relied upon on guarding Joel Embiid and the top big men in the NBA.

Perhaps Howard’s answer and showing during his workout with the Lakers were what convinced Davis that he is the right guy for the job. Regardless, Howard has a lot to prove, especially because he is on a short leash with the Purple and Gold with his non-guaranteed contract.